Minnesota Timberwolves roster? Call ’em Fire and Ice
By Bret Stuter
No defending two offensive bigs
The Pelicans failed with two bigs because they supercharged the team’s offense while neglecting the defense. Let’s revisit the way that the Pelicans team with assistant coach Chris Finch performed:
The Pelicans were ranked as the 29th-ranked NBA team defensively. How could that be with two supersized players getting quality minutes? Well, bigs are great at blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. But they are not, particularly, the first choice on the roster for contesting shots, defending the perimeter, or even picking the pockets of the ball-handler.
So what is it that made the Pelicans’ defense so very bad? Well, the first clue is the fact that they allowed opponents to make 41.7 shots per game from the floor. The best mark at the time was the Memphis Grizzlies who held opponents to just 37.1 successful shots. So how were opponents making so many shots?
Despite having great scoring front-court folks, the Pelicans were quite bad at rebounding. They allowed opponents to put up 10.8 offensive rebounds (29th ranked) and 34.7 defensive rebounds (23rd ranked). The Pelicans were only getting 8.7 offensive rebounds (26th ranked) but were getting 35.7 defensive rebounds (3rd ranked).
The opponents were also better at ball movement. Against the Pelicans, other teams averaged 23.7 assists per game. That came in as the 20th-ranked APG in the NBA. In short, NBA teams learned to outflank the Pelicans. So what can the Timberwolves do differently?
More than you may realize, it turns out.